WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Von Erich hits the road this September not as a wrestler, at least not entirely, but as a one-man performer. The legendary son of Fritz Von Erich plans on regaling audiences in the Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma markets with stories from his time on the road as part of his show Tales From The Top Rope.
In an exclusive Haus of Wrestling interview, I asked Von Erich why he felt now was the time to launch his one-man show.
“You know, there’s this movie coming out, and I have no idea what they’re going to say,” he chuckled. “I decided to do it because I really don’t know what they’re going to say, and I wanted kind of my rebuttal, I guess, you know? People get to know me because there’s some crazy stuff on that internet and I was afraid they’d use that for this movie, and make my Dad look terrible and make Kerry look bad, I just couldn’t have that.
“My dad was a great man, and my brother, Kerry, the last few years of his life were the drugs but he wasn’t like that, or his whole life, just those last few years. So you can’t judge him on how he ended.”
The upcoming feature film The Iron Claw, produced by A24 studios, will feature Zac Efron portraying Kevin. Photos of Efron jacked up for the role have regularly made the rounds since shooting began, and anticipation for its release has started to build.
“My sons went down there and they did stunt work for the wrestling part of it,” he revealed. “I have no idea what they’re gonna say but it turns out that the producer called me, a really nice guy named Sean Durkin, and I got a feeling it’s gonna be a really good move, and here’s why. When the boys went down there to shoot this scene, which was in Louisiana, they have built their own Sportatorium. They built their own, and it’s an exact replica of the Sportatorium and, I mean, they’ve really gone all in on this.
“When my boys went down there Kerry’s daughter was also down there, she’s a friend with Sean Durkin, too. So, Holly was there with all the boys and they were meeting the actors and the guy that is going to play my Dad came out there, and when Holly saw him she immediately cried. She loved him so much, all the kids loved Dad but she saw Dad and it made her cry.
“And when the actor saw Holly had cried, he started crying and it just said to me, these people are really pouring their hearts out and they really want to do good work, and if you try that hard, you’re going to do all right. I really can’t wait to see it. I think it’s going to be a good movie.”
Kevin Von Erich’s Tales From The Top Rope seven-city tour kicks off September 1 at The Majestic Theater in Dallas, TX. Tickets for the general public go on sale today, Friday, June 2, and are available at EmporiumPresents.com. The events will be hosted by noted sports reporter Dale Hansen, and will also feature appearances by legendary WCCW referee, booker, and promoter, David Manning.
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